"Fire Ling'er!!" The middle-aged man's eyes widened in terror as he stared at the girl before him.
The crowd around them reacted similarly, their faces showing utter disbelief and fear.
'Fire Ling'er' was the real name of the notorious Third Princess of the royal city, known for her domineering and unruly behavior. She was famously pampered by Emperor Huo, which led to her fearless and reckless conduct, making her name one that struck fear into the hearts of everyone in the city.
If this girl truly was the Third Princess, the middle-aged man knew he was in deep trouble, and surviving with just his life would be considered lucky.
Though the princess's reputation had improved over the past three years with fewer incidents, it was commonly rumored that her calmness was due to her being engrossed in her palace with a male consort, indulging in pleasure day and night.
Hearing the name 'Fire Ling'er' was enough to terrify the middle-aged man. He didn't doubt her identity for a second—no one in the royal city would dare impersonate the Third Princess.
"Your Highness, I apologize for not recognizing you. Please forgive my offense!" The middle-aged man hastily signaled his subordinates, "Quick, untie the demon girl! Do you want the princess to do it herself?"
After everything was done, he handed the key to the chains binding the dragon girl to Huo Ling'er, ingratiatingly smiling, "It is my honor that the princess likes her."
Huo Ling'er, feeling disgusted by the man's greasy smile, just wanted to leave quickly to avoid losing her temper and kicking him in the face, which might damage her image in Xiao Fan's eyes. Not that she had much of an image left to salvage, but still.
"Enough with the nonsense. I'm in a hurry!" Huo Ling'er snapped impatiently.
The middle-aged man, eager for her to leave, urged his subordinates, "Hurry up, you useless lot! Do you want to waste the princess's time?"
Soon, the dragon girl was freed from her cage, and the middle-aged man handed over the key to Huo Ling'er respectfully. "Alright, scram!" Huo Ling'er shouted, and the man and his subordinates quickly fled.
The crowd, terrified of the notorious Third Princess, had already dispersed. No one wanted to risk being near her and possibly incurring her wrath.
Seeing the empty street, Xiao Fan couldn't help but laugh. He had witnessed just how feared Huo Ling'er's name was. It seemed their visit to the fair was over.
Huo Yang, looking disappointed, shot a resentful glance at Huo Ling'er. She realized her impulsiveness had ruined their plans. Now, she had a dragon girl to deal with.
Killing the girl seemed like an easy solution, but looking at her timid and scared face, Huo Ling'er couldn't bring herself to do it. But taking her back to the palace wasn't an option either.
Helpless, she turned to Xiao Fan for a solution, hoping to pass the problem onto him. After all, he was her master.
Xiao Fan didn't see this as a problem. He took the key from Huo Ling'er and unlocked the chains binding the dragon girl.
Squatting down to her level, he gently reassured her, "Don't be afraid. We won't hurt you."
Sensing Xiao Fan's kindness, the girl's tension eased a bit.
After calming her, Xiao Fan stood and looked at Huo Ling'er. A demon couldn't be taken to the palace, but a dragon was a different story. If they treated her well, they might establish good relations with the dragon clan, which would benefit the entire Heavenly Fire Kingdom.
Xiao Fan explained his theory to Huo Ling'er, who was initially stunned.
She reexamined the girl, noting that the horns did resemble those of a dragon. However, according to what she knew, young dragons couldn't take human form. Only powerful dragons did so, as their strength lay in their formidable physical bodies.
This girl, captured and imprisoned, clearly wasn't strong. Huo Ling'er shared her thoughts with Xiao Fan.
Xiao Fan smiled. "You're right, but you're missing part of the information."
"What part?" Huo Ling'er asked, puzzled.
Xiao Fan continued, "If she's a half-blood between a human and a dragon, she would be in human form from birth. Her dragon traits would emerge only when her dragon blood awakens."
"You think she's a half-blood?" Huo Ling'er was shocked.
If true, it was extraordinary. Dragons had low birth rates, and a half-blood between a dragon and a human was even rarer.
Huo Yang, hearing this, was amazed and excitedly inspected the girl.
Despite being a few years older, the dragon girl, perhaps traumatized by her past, remained timid and hid behind Xiao Fan.
Outside the Haotian Mirror, many realized the girl was more than just a demon.
"Is she a dragon half-blood?"
"Looks like it. Only dragon horns look like that."
"If that's true, and these people bought her, the dragon clan's revenge could be disastrous for the Heavenly Fire Kingdom."
High above, Empress Huo Ling'er clenched her fists, suppressing her anger. The girl was indeed a dragon half-blood, and Huo Ling'er had saved her back then.
Many times she regretted it, thinking if she hadn't, Xiao Fan wouldn't have escaped. After Xiao Fan's attempt to seize the Heavenly Fire led to her father's death and the destruction of half the capital, the dragon girl had rescued him.
Even now, Huo Ling'er couldn't forget. If she met the dragon girl again, she vowed to make her pay.
The void trembled as a black-robed figure appeared, drawing everyone's attention.
"That's… the Black Robe Empress!"
Recognizing her, the crowd wondered why she had revealed herself now.
Empress Huo Ling'er was puzzled too. The Black Robe Empress rarely appeared publicly.
The next moment, the Black Robe Empress reached for her hood, seemingly about to reveal her face.
Everyone watched in anticipation. Were they about to see the true face of the Black Robe Empress?